The present invention relates generally to kennels, and more specifically to an animal kennel having a compact door and doorway configuration.
Animal kennels are known in the art. Such kennels can be relatively small and portable enabling users to carry an assembled kennel in a vehicle or the like, or generally larger, which requires the kennel to be disassembled during transportation and assembled once a destination is reached. Many users of kennels have concerns about storing animals in smaller kennels, and prefer using larger kennels because of increased sanitation and space.
Larger kennels basically can be formed using a series of panels that are connected or coupled together to form an enclosure. FIG. 1 is exemplary of such a typical prior art kennel, which is generally designated as 10. The kennel 10 includes a plurality of side panels 12 that are configured for coupling to one another, and a gate panel 14 that connects to the side panels at corners 16. An enclosure, generally designated as 18, is formed by the connecting of the side panels 12 and the gate panel 14 together.
Generally, it is desirable to be able to quickly assemble larger kennels since they are often used as portable kennels. Accordingly, many larger kennels are designed to have a skeleton structure that is formed by a plurality of vertical frame members 20 that slidingly interlock with horizontal frame members 22 at junctions 24. That is, the vertical frame members 20 and horizontal frame members 22 are assembled by slidingly coupling in a friction fit to one another to form the skeleton structure of the kennel 10.
After assembly of the skeleton structure of the kennel 10, the vertical frame members 20 and the horizontal frame members 22 that form the gate panel 14 are arranged to form a doorway, generally designated as 26. The doorway 26 is surrounded by vertical doorway frame members 28 and horizontal doorway frame members 30 that connect to one another. Typically, a section of wire cloth 31 or other barrier is attached to the vertical doorway frame members 28 using vertical posts 34 that are passed through loops in the wire cloth. Another length of wire cloth 35 is attached to one or more of the vertical frame members 20 to seal the enclosure 18. The vertical posts 34 are secured by clamps 36 to the vertical frame members 20, and prevent escape of an animal from the enclosure 18 through the doorway 26 when closed.
A door 38 is provided for closing the doorway 26, and is defined by the vertical doorway frame members 28, the horizontal doorway frame members 30, and the wire cloth 31. Typically, the door 38 uses hinges 40 to achieve rotation about one of the vertical frame members 20. In addition, the door 38 usually has a locking mechanism 42 attached to a vertical doorway frame member 28 that engages one of the vertical frame members 20 to maintain the door 38 in a closed position. When the locking mechanism 42 is released, the door 38 is rotatable from the closed position, as shown in FIG. 1, to an open position (not shown) permitting entry into and out of the enclosure 18.
While the use of hinges to rotate kennel doors is known in the art, hinges have a number of drawbacks and disadvantages. One of the principle disadvantages is that repeated connection of the hinges to the vertical frame member when assembling the kennel can be difficult, especially since the hinges need to be positioned at certain locations on a vertical frame member. Since these portable kennels are often assembled and disassembled, adjusting the position of the hinges can become tedious and labor intensive. Another disadvantage is that hinges may malfunction over time due to stress upon the hinges caused by their support of the door. Another design factor of such portable kennels is a desire to reduce the disassembled weight while maintaining the size and structural strength. Therefore, there has been and continues to be a need for a larger kennel that is portable, can be quickly and easily assembled, has a sturdy structure for enabling rotation of a door, and that can withstand stress exerted on the structure by the door.